


Beep Beep

by Nexas_Hart



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Happy Hogan is a Good Bro, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, Nick Fury Knows All, Peter Parker & Shuri Friendship, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Happy Hogan, Protective Tony Stark, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28964928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nexas_Hart/pseuds/Nexas_Hart
Summary: A lot of people aren't picked up by their parents at Midtown. Still, Peter Parker is a bit unique in this case.
Relationships: Andre "Coach" Wilson & Sam Wilson, Bruce Banner & Peter Parker, Bruce Banner & Roger Harrington, Clint Barton & Cooper Barton, Clint Barton & Cooper Barton & Laura Barton & Lila Barton & Nathaniel Pietro Barton, Clint Barton & Lila Barton, Clint Barton & Peter Parker, Clint Barton/Laura Barton, Friday & Karen (Spider-Man: Homecoming) & Vision, Happy Hogan & Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes & Jim Morita, James "Bucky" Barnes & Peter Parker, James "Bucky" Barnes & Principal Morita, Jim Morita & Steve Rogers, Karen (Spider-Man: Homecoming) & Peter Parker, Maria Hill & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Pepper Potts, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Nick Fury & Maria Hill, Nick Fury & Peter Parker, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Andre "Coach" Wilson, Peter Parker & Natasha Romanov, Peter Parker & Sam Wilson, Peter Parker & Shuri, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Vision, Principal Morita & Peter Parker, Scott Lang & Luis (Ant-Man movies), Scott Lang & Peter Parker, Scott Lang/Hope Van Dyne, Wanda Maximoff & Peter Parker, Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Comments: 120
Kudos: 887





	1. Managing Assets

**Author's Note:**

> Just an idea I got from another fic I read. Hope you like it.

If he’s being completely honest, this isn’t that bad.

When he first started picking the kid up from school to take him to the Compound, Happy Hogan admits it was partially because he felt bad for the incident with the plane. He’d come over, pick him up, and roll up the partition when the chatter got annoying.

Eventually, Hogan started to realize that it took longer for him to feel the need for silence. Soon, he began making it to the Compound without even reaching for the button for the partition. Then, he started participating in the conversation with the kid. Talking about the boss and what they do in the lab, even if he barely understands it. Happy would tell stories about Tony that would make the kid laugh. He still hasn’t caved on the “no eating” rule that he has for his car, but he will admit that he looks forward to pulling up at this high school a few times a week.

Now, however, he isn’t glad to be hear. No, he’s quite annoyed.

All of Tony Stark’s cars are nice. As in, very nice. Not always the most expensive, but always very good to look at. He allows a slight decrease in quality for when he needs to be a little lower profile, but only just.

Happy has a few preferences when he drives. Has to be black. Has to have a backseat. Must have trunk space. Finally, tinted windows are preferred.

The problem is, most of the car’s he usually drives to pick up the kid are in some form of maintenance at the moment. Leaving him to drive one of those high-profile cars that Stark would be seen in.

So, now, he’s leaning against that car, waiting for his charge as a crowd starts to gather around the flashy and not at all under the radar vehicle. They all gape and stare, but Happy likes to think that his intimidating stature keeps them from getting too close.

He’s looking around, scanning for possible threats, when he sees Peter walking out of the double doors of the school with the Leeds kid. Pete spots Happy, and his face splits into a wide grin. He starts walking down towards the car, when it happens.

Peter Parker goes sprawling to the ground as a group of guys shoves past the kid, despite there being more than enough room. No, it was intentional.

“Hey!”

The bodyguard bolts forward, barely even noticing as the brats in front of him part to let him through. He stalks towards the group of kids that are now laughing at his charge while Leeds helps him up. The entire group doesn’t notice the man until he’s standing between the bullies and the two friends.

“What’s your problem?” Happy Hogan growls.

“What?” The group steps back, a bit of fear on their faces.

“Happy,” Peter sighs, wiping dust and dirt off of his clothes. “It’s okay.”

“Kid,” the man looks back at him. “It’s my job to make sure that you get to the boss safely. If that means stepping between you and a bunch of guys who seem to enjoy picking on others, then so be it.”

“Happy,” Peter grabs onto the man’s arm. “Please, can we just go?”

The Asset Manager of Stark Industries, former bodyguard of Tony Stark, and retired pro boxer looks back and forth between the kid and the jerks, before sighing.

“Fine, but I’m telling the boss about this.”

“But-.”

“Nope. Not hearing it. And your aunt is learning this, too.”

“Please, don’t.”

“It's happening, now c’mon. Tony’s always a bit anxious when we’re late.” He looks over at Ned, nodding. “Leeds.” Then, over at the others, glaring slightly, before walking away with Peter.

***

“And you didn’t think to tell us about this why?”

Peter is looking down as Tony Stark and May Parker sit across the table from him.

“Peter,” May gives him a comforting look. “If you’re getting bullied at school, you should have told us. Was it that Flash person?”

“No,” the teen mumbles. “He only calls me names sometimes, and that’s not really specific to me. He’s a jerk to everyone equally.”

“That means that there are others who do target just you?” Mr. Stark frowns.

The teenager being lectured sinks down even lower.

“Sweetie,” May tries to look in Peter’s eyes. “Why do they do that? If it’s just you, I would think they’d have a reason, right?”

Peter nods. “Some people, well… Some of the people at school still don’t believe I have an internship.”

“What?” Tony actually chuckles at that. “I thought all of that was settled when we turned in the paperwork to make it official.”

“It was for most people,” Peter sighs. “Like Principal Morita and most of the staff, but some people think I forged the papers. It’s apparently happened before. I mean, this is a STEM school, so there would be people smart enough to do that.”

“I will admit that with your knowledge of chemistry, engineering, and programming,” Tony Stark nods. “You’d definitely be able to pull off a passable false internship report.”

“But that isn’t the case right now,” May frowns. “Have the teachers done anything about this?”

“When they actually catch the guys doing it.”

For the next half an hour, there’s a back and forth between the three of them. May and Tony try to find a solution to the problem. Peter, and on occasion Tony, shut down a lot of May’s suggestions. Some of them wouldn’t work in a modern high school setting. May and Peter stonewall Tony’s suggestion of expulsion of the problem children and blacklisting their families from anything involving Stark Industries and their affiliates, even if May was just barely on Peter’s side about the expulsion.

At the end of it all, the three of them decided that the best thing to do is alert Principal Morita to the situation and having Mr. Stark at least offer to upgrade their security system. Not much, but it’s a start.

***

“Isn’t there something else we can do?” May Parker sighs as she sits back on the couch.

“From what I heard from you two,” Pepper Potts smiles comfortingly. “I think you’re doing everything you can short of making a public announcement about it.” She holds up a finger to Tony, who had opened his mouth. “And we promised that we wouldn’t do that until Peter was at least in college.”

There’s a few more moments of silence, before Tony opens his mouth again.

“There is one more thing,” he tells the two adults. “Honestly, I didn’t suggest it earlier because I’m not sure what Peter would think about it. It’s not a public statement, but it’s still pretty out there.”

As the two women hear his suggestion, their eyes widen.

“That could work,” May agrees.

“And we could still have FRIDAY restrict the media exposure if we need to,” Pepper nods. “Should we tell Peter?”

“I think it might be better if we let it be a surprise,” Tony tells her.

“You just want to see the look on his face when he realizes what’s happening,” Pepper smirks at her fiancé.

“You’re not wrong.”

May laughs a bit at that. “Please record it.”

“Of course.” He peeks the sunglasses out of his jacket pocket for a moment.

***

Peter Parker is having a pretty good day. He just got back a few tests, aced ‘em. He’d managed to get to lunch early enough to get the real pizza and not just that cheese covered cardboard they call food. MJ even smiled at one of his jokes during the decathlon meeting during study hall. It’s been great.

That’s why, when he opens up the doors to leave school, he has to stop short and gape. I mean, it’s not something bad that he sees in front of him, but it’s definitely not something he would’ve ever expected on a day like this.

The crowd is a hell of a lot bigger than it was before the weekend. That’s because, instead of Happy Hogan, there’s a confident and well-dressed billionaire in sunglasses. His face turns away from one of the students asking for an autograph as he looks at Peter exiting the door.

“Hey, Pete!” He calls to the teen. “Ready to go?”

All eyes turn to Peter Parker as he feels Ned tugging excitedly on his arm. Peter starts walking towards the group as it parts, shock and awe on the faces of the students. He feels his cheeks heat up as he reaches Mr. Stark and the man puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Welp,” the genius billionaire pats the boy’s shoulder. “We’d better get going. We’ve got projects I need your help on.”

Peter can hear the whispers as he loads up into the passenger’s side of one of Mr. Stark’s cars. He doesn’t actually say anything until they’re almost out of the city.

“What was that?” Peter frowns.

“The only way we can completely prove to the students that you actually work with me,” Tony replies, a bit smug. “It was either that or have Pepper come, but she has a meeting.”

“But I thought that we weren’t going to reveal that I was your intern until later.”

“It shouldn’t spread too much,” Stark assures him. “FRIDAY’s filtering out a lot of the posts that actually mention you and Midtown High. Anything else can be dealt with by our lawyers to keep your name and information out of the press. You’re still a minor, so that makes things easier for us.”

Peter smiles a bit at the thought that was put into all of this. 

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a fic on fanfiction.net called "Curbside Pickup"
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	2. Thankfully Under the Radar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well. Ask and ye shall receive. Chapter 2.

Chapter 2: Thankfully Under the Radar

Everything pretty much dies down after a few weeks. Peter’s definitely not the most popular kid in school, but at least nobody picks on him anymore. After the initial popularity of knowing Tony Stark, everything settled to where he’s only slightly more well-known than he used to be. A few people would comment about his internship, a few others would obviously approach him to try and meet Tony Stark, but he’s left alone for the most part.

Still, he’s happy with what he has. Ned and MJ, and maybe the other members of the decathlon team, are all the friends he needs.

Ever since the incident with Mr. Stark, he’s pretty much only been picked up by Happy when he’s supposed to go to the Compound or when the Asset Manager happens to be in the city. People have started to recognize the man as the former bodyguard of Tony Stark, but there’s not too much hype from the students. There were a few parents that recognized the guy from his old boxing career, which was cool for the man.

That constant is why, when Peter walks out of the door with Ned and MJ by his side, he’s confused. He’s supposed to go up to the Compound today, but he can’t see Happy or any of his cars in the pickup zone.

“Hey, loser,” he feels MJ nudge him. “Your ride’s over there.”

He looks over where the girl is jabbing her thumb and his eyes widen. She’s in a leather jacket and sunglasses, sitting against a motorcycle. There are more than a few people looking over at the woman, but Peter isn’t sure if it’s because they recognize her or they just think she’s attractive. Understandable, given that it’s the Black Widow.

Ned is pretty much stunned silent as the trio approaches, while MJ just smirks as they stop in front of bike.

“Nice wheels,” the decathlon captain tells the assassin.

“You must be Michelle,” Natasha Romanov smiles at her. “And Ned. Peter talks about you two a lot.”

“Really?” Ned’s eyes widen.

“Of course,” Peter jabs his friend’s shoulder. “You’re my best friends.” He turns to look at the spy. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the area,” she shrugs. “Called Happy and told him I could pick you up. Also confirmed it with Stark. So,” she tosses him a helmet. “We’d better get going.”

“Um,” Peter looks down at the helmet in his hands. “Okay.”

He slips it on helmet, before turning to look at Ned and MJ. “I guess I’ll see you guys later.”

“I’d invite you to come with us,” Nat tells the two remaining teens. “But there’s not enough room on the bike. Don’t be a stranger, though.”

As Peter waits for Natasha to swing her leg over the bike and slip her own helmet on, he notices a few other people looking over at them. He’s not sure if they can tell it’s him with the helmet on, but some of them might guess it is with Ned and MJ nearby.

“Alright, kid,” the superspy pats behind her. “Hop on. Just remember, if your hands drift too far up or down while you’re holding on, you lose them.”

He’s now glad for the helmet, because he’s blushing as MJ laughs. Peter just groans before swinging his own leg around and settling in behind her and making sure that his hands stayed firmly around the waist of one of the deadliest people in the world.

“We’ll see you later, loser,” MJ nods. “It’s good to meet you Ms. Romanov.”

“You, too, Ms. Jones,” she nods, before looking ahead and revving up the engine.

***

The pair of them hop off of the bike as it rolls to a stop in the Compound garage.

“Thanks for the ride, Nat,” Peter pulls the helmet off of his head. “But did you have to embarrass me in front of MJ?”

“Yes,” she responds, helmet already off. “I think a little embarrassment is a hell of a lot better than me walking into your school in full combat gear and announcing that I’m there to pick you up, don’t you?”

“Or,” Peter smiles hopefully. “You could do neither.”

“That’s not one of your options, Little Spider.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figured that, despite everything that happened, Nat would still want to stay a bit more incognito.
> 
> I have a few other chapters in the works. After that, I'll start doing requests that you ask for. Feel free to start asking now, though. I'll get to them when I can.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	3. Precedence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit, a pickup, and an invitation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next is a classic interaction. Have fun with it.

Chapter 3: Precedence

There were a few whispers in the hall after people saw Peter getting onto a motorcycle with someone. Luckily, only a few people actually recognized the Black Widow, but a good looking, leather jacketed woman giving the biggest nerd at Midtown a lift is bound to make a least a few ripples. They only last about a week, though. That’s always nice.

One day soon after all of those whisperings fade, he’s walking out of his final class for the day and heading to his locker, when he’s stopped by a crowd congesting the halls in front of the principal’s office. Weird, because the last place anyone would usually crowd around in any school is a principal’s office.

Over the whispers in the group, Peter hears voices. One of them is Principal Morita. Makes sense; this is his office. Then, there’s another voice. It’s pretty familiar to everyone at this high school, but it sets Peter’s nerves on edge. A third voice turns the boy’s blood cold. He pushes to the front of the mob of people.

James Barnes and Steve Rogers are standing in the middle of the hallway, talking with Principal Morita. Bucky glances over at Peter, smiling in recognition.

“Sup, kid.” the former Winter Soldier raises a hand in greeting.

The two other adults, who were talking together, turn at the man’s voice. Steve’s smile widens, while a look of recognition appears on Principal Morita’s face.

“Hey, Peter,” Captain America beckons for him to come closer. “We’re here to pick you up.”

“Okay,” the teen can feel every eye on him as he takes in this situation. “But why are you the ones doing it?”

“Well,” Bucky pats him on the shoulder. “After Nat picked you up a little while ago, a few of the others started to complain. We didn’t want her to have all of the fun. So, Pepper decided that it would be alright if some of us came down instead of Happy or Tony, on occasion. Today is our turn.”

There’s even more intense whispering as the assembled students process this information.

“Alright. That’s great and all, but he can’t leave yet.”

The four people in the center of the crowd turn to the voice. Michelle Jones stands in front of them, arms crossed as she looks at the two supersoldiers.

“Hello,” Steve smiles at her. “You must be Michelle. Peter and Nat have mentioned you.”

“That’s me,” she confirms. “And Peter’s got decathlon practice today, so you can’t take him until later.”

“Wow,” Bucky whistles. “Honestly, when Pete mentioned that you don’t take shit from anyone, he really meant it.”

“Buck,” Steve admonishes. “We’re in a school.”

“Yeah, Mr. Barnes,” Peter smirks. “Language.”

Steve gives the young teen a look. “Did Stark tell you about that?”

“He might’ve mentioned it.”

“Either way,” James Barnes looks back at the decathlon captain. “We know he’s got practice. We actually came early to talk to your principal. His grandfather was a Howling Commando, so we thought we’d check in and maybe get to know him a bit better.”

“Right,” Principal Jim Morita snaps out of his shock of seeing two of his students casually talking to a pair of Avengers. “Well, I suppose we can talk in my office while Mr. Parker goes to his club.” He looks around at the rest of the students. “And the rest of you should be getting to your clubs and heading home.”

At that dismissal, the students grudgingly begin to disperse, a few of them try to stay behind, but the novelty is lost when the two supersoldiers head into the office. A few more people try to approach Peter, but they’re stopped by a glare from MJ.

“Let’s get your stuff from your locker,” she tells Peter. “Then, we can head to practice.”

***

After practice, Peter and MJ, joined by Ned, step outside to see a crowd. Not as packed as the one in the hall earlier, but still decent sized.

“I’ll give you three guesses where your ride is,” MJ quips next to Peter.

Sure enough, as they push through the throng of people, they find the two World War II veterans signing autographs for the students and more than a few adults. If you know the two soldiers, you can tell that they’re starting to get tired of all of it. Their smiles are a bit forced, and their autographs are becoming more rushed.

“Hey!” Michelle Jones steps forward. “Star Spangled Man. Think you could sign my ‘Rapping with Cap’ Box set?”

There’re more than a few laughs and good-natured boos as she smirks at a blushing Steve Rogers, while Bucky joins in the laughter.

“I like you,” Barnes tells MJ. “Pete’s coming up to the Compound this weekend. Clear it with your folks if you want to come up.” He looks at Ned. “And you, too. Pete says you’re a great friend.”

“Let’s head out,” Steve heads over to their car.

Peter gets into the backseat, while Bucky gets into the driver’s seat and Steve rides shotgun.

“Not driving, Steve?” Peter smirks.

“He never drove during the war either,” Bucky starts up the car. “For good reason. He drives like a maniac.”

“Oh, really?” Peter chuckles.

“I’m fine at driving,” Steve huffs as they pull out of the parking spot.

“You’re fine at aiming,” Bucky corrects. “Decent on a bike, I’ll give you that, but anything bigger and you’re basically just trying to stay in a straight line and just try to hit the target unless they have an autopilot.”

Captain America just grumbles a bit while Peter smiles in the backseat on their way out of the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For any who do not know, it's been pretty much confirmed by the fandom, if not by Marvel itself, that Principal Morita is descended from one of the Howling Commandos.
> 
> You don't usually see Steve Rogers using a vehicle unless he's trying to crash it into something. Other than the small clips on a motorcycle. Thought I'd make a reason for that.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	4. Cupid Is Not Needed Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's already one annoyingly nosy archer in this story.

Chapter 4: Cupid is Not Needed Here

The weekend is finally upon them, and the school is abuzz.

Ever since the basically public announcement from Steve Rogers, most of the student body of Midtown High has been looking forward to today. According to Charles, bets are starting to be placed on which Avenger is going to show to pick up Peter. Michelle has basically become his designated bodyguard when they aren’t in classes. Too many people have started to approach him during the past few days. It’s gotten a bit frustrating during lunch. He could barely even eat on the first day it started happening.

Finally, at the end of the school day, everyone waits not so subtly around the front entrance. They whisper and watch, looking for some amazing car or bike. A few people can even be seen checking the sky, like they’d let the Avengers fly there for no reason. Still, when Peter’s phone buzzes, he sees an unknown number with a text. Understandable, seeing as he doesn’t actually have a lot of the Avengers’ phone numbers.

_Gray minivan. Pulling up now._

“They’re here,” he tells his two friends. “C’mon.”

Kind of anticlimactic for most of the people watching. They were expecting some sort of amazingly expensive or good-looking car. He’s heard a few guesses that it’ll be some autopiloting motorcycles or other vehicles. Maybe even a magic portal, although Peter publicly dismissed that one. Doctor Strange doesn’t come around the Compound often enough to volunteer for pick up duty.

In the end, a completely normal minivan pulls up in front of the school, and the students don’t even notice it until the passenger side window rolls down and a familiar head pops out.

“Over here, Pete,” Clint Barton waves. “Your chariot awaits.”

It takes a few moments for everyone to process who that is, which gives the trio some time to get in the backseat of the van before the students manage to get close. With the experience of the wife of an Avenger and a mother of three, Laura Barton quickly closes the automatic doors and pulls out of the pick up area before anyone can reach them.

“Get settled in and buckled up,” she tells the teens. “Peter, you and Michelle can sit in back with Lila and Cooper. Ned, you get the seat in front of them.”

The three of them obey, as Peter takes his seat on one side and MJ places herself in the middle next to the smaller girl. Peter looks in the trunk, where a seat has been hooked in place and Cooper is smiling.

“Hey, Coop,” Peter greets the boy after buckling in.

“Hey, Peter,” the boy grins back. He looks over at the teenage girl in the center. “You must be MJ.”

“Yes,” she frowns. “And you are?”

“I’m Cooper,” he introduces.

“And I’m Lila,” the girl next to her smiles. “And this.” She indicates the small human in the car seat in front of her. “Is Nate.”

“They’re my kids,” Clint supplies the actual answer to Michelle’s question.

“You have kids?” Ned gapes a bit. “Why haven’t I heard about this?”

“It was a secret for a long time,” the female driver comments. “It’s not anymore, but we never actually publicly announced it, so most people aren’t aware. I’m his wife, Laura. It’s nice to meet you two. Peter’s told us a lot about you both.”

“Especially you,” Clint looks back at Michelle. “Can’t seem to stop talking about you.”

“Oh, really?” Michelle looks over at Peter next to her. “And what does he say?”

“He says you’re really pretty,” Lila giggles. “And he’s right.”

“Thank you, Lila,” MJ smiles at the girl. “I think you’re very pretty, too.”

Peter, for his part, is red as a tomato. The source of that blush turns back towards him.

“So, Mr. Parker,” MJ smirks at the teen who has no where to escape. “You think I’m pretty?”

Peter Parker sends looks of betrayal to every person in this car. Even Ned. His best friend looks like he wishes he had popcorn.

“Because I think you look nice in your tight-fitting Spider-man suit.”

That has Ned and Peter sputtering. Both of them stare at MJ in shock.

“Thought you didn’t tell her about that,” Clint frowns.

“I didn’t,” Peter replies, staring at the girl in shock.

“It’s obvious enough if you actually put any thought into it,” the teenage girl shrugs. “He’s not the best at keeping it a secret. If anyone else paid any sort of attention to him, he’d be out of luck.”

“I’m good at keeping secrets,” Peter whines.

“Dude,” Ned decides to put in his two cents. “She has a point. I mean you did kind of crawl on the ceiling into your room while I was in there.”

“And the time in DC,” Michelle adds. “A completely New York based vigilante showing up at the same time that our team is there, with you conveniently gone during the entire day. Add on your lack of any sort of perspiration during PE despite struggling so hard last year, and I’ve seen you hop the school’s fence on more than one occasion. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few others have put two and two together.”

“Wow,” Clint whistles. “Kid, you really need to work on keeping a low profile. I mean seriously.”

“Well,” the now exposed Spider-man gives Hawkeye a glare. “It’ll be pretty difficult to do that now that the Avengers will be picking me up from school whenever they feel like it.”

“It just means you’ll have to work harder,” Clint states. “I managed to hide my family from the entire world for over a decade. You can hide your identity from your school for a few years at least.”

Peter just pouts at the logic of the statement.

“Awww,” MJ pokes his cheek. “Cheer up. Now that you know I know; you’ll have a nice ‘pretty’ girl to help you keep your secret. Now,” she turns back to the two adults in front. “What do I need to know about the Compound before we get there? I tried asking Peter, but he’s not the best at explaining things.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clint probably would've stayed to embarrass Peter more in front of the school, but his kids were in the car. I guess trapping Peter with his crush and turning him beet red is enough.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	5. Substitute Teacher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This week's classes will be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work was requested by toastisprettygreat. I probably would've written this character eventually, but your comment caused me to consider it during a time that gave me the idea for this particular situation. So, you get a good amount of credit for the inspiration for this chapter.

Chapter 5: Substitute Teacher

It’s a peaceful week. No big missions for the Avengers, nothing more than a mugging for Spider-man, and he even went on two dates with MJ without having to leave for anything. Yeah, it’s been a great week.

Because of that, Peter is on guard.

His luck has never been this good. He’s not expecting anything end of the world big, but something embarrassing, surprising, or at least annoying is bound to happen in the coming days. The most likely cause of that will be the place where Peter easily and often embarrasses himself. School.

***

His first class is chemistry, and he’s heard that they have a sub. He’s not sure how he feels about that.

On one hand, a sub usually means less work. On the other, Peter takes a college level chemistry course. A usual substitute would have no idea how to teach it, even with whatever notes Mr. Harrington left for them. Which means that his class would be behind for however long Mr. Harrington is out.

When he gets to the classroom, he sees everyone standing outside of the doorway, and his mood drops even more. Is the sub not here yet? As he makes his way to the front of the group, what he sees causes all of those doubts to vanish. Instead, they’re replaced with shock as he sees their substitute sitting at the teacher’s desk, reading a bound stack of papers.

“Doctor Banner?” Peter gapes.

As the most renowned scientist of the past two decades looks up from his reading, Peter understands why the rest of the students didn’t go inside. What STEM student wouldn’t be struck in awe at The Doctor Bruce Banner sitting in their classroom. Said doctor smiles at the group and the boy in front of them.

“Peter,” he chuckles in recognition. “And the rest of you must be my first class. Sorry, I was a bit caught up in reading. Don’t just stand there, come on in.”

As Peter takes the first step, the rest of the class follows. Still openly showing their awe on their faces, each of the students take their seats. Those not seated up front leaning forward to get even closer to the living legend. A few of them glance back and forth between the man himself and the picture above the blackboard, as if they aren’t entirely convinced it’s him.

“Hello, class,” Bruce Banner smiles as he stands up. “My name is Doctor Banner, and I’m your substitute teacher. Roger Harrington will be away for business for the next week, and he asked me to help him out while he’s gone. Well, I sort of volunteered, but still. I’ll be guiding you through Roger’s plans for the time I’m here, as well as giving you my own insights into the various subjects if we have time at the end of classes. Now, however, I think I should get this out of the way. For the first half of this class, and this class only, I’ll be having a question and answer period. So, ask away.”

Needless to say, there are a good many questions. About his work. About various hobbies. About the Hulk. Requests for a college recommendation. Most of the people in the class are seniors or juniors, Peter’s the youngest there, so that’s understandable.

“How do you know Mr. Harrington?” One student asks.

“We went to college together,” Bruce smiles. “When I heard that Steve and Bucky had caught up with the descendant of one of their war buddies, I’d decided to try and find some of my old acquaintances. I’d lost contact with them while I was travelling,” he smiles at Peter. “Imagine my surprise when I’d discovered that one of them worked at the same school that Peter goes to.”

“How do you know Peter?” Another one asks.

“He’s Tony’s personal intern,” Bruce responds. “But he’s actually more often than not in the chemistry and organic based labs with me and Doctor Cho. I honestly think he has more of a gift with that aspect of science than the engineering that he does with Tony.”

Peter’s blushing as all of the people in the class focus on him.

“I think that’s enough questions for now,” Doctor Banner brings the class’s attention back to him. “You can come in during lunch if you’d like to ask more.”

With that, the rest of class is spent learning. Every student hangs on the man’s every word. Taking notes on even the smallest little detail, whether it’s an actual part of the lesson or a tangent about some sort of life experience of his. By the end of the lesson, almost every single person’s hand is cramping, but they all still feel like they could write for another hour.

“That’s all for today,” Doctor Banner smiles at his rapt audience, before looking at Peter. “Right, and Pete, Tasha’s our ride for this week. Just come to this room when you’re done with practice.”

Half of the students stay behind after they’re dismissed, trying to scrounge more information about Bruce Banner’s personal life or asking about some scientific subject. The other half rush out of the room, no doubt to spread the word about who is subbing for the advanced chemistry classes this week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As has been mentioned in the comments on another one of my fics, Mr. Harrington has apparently been ret-conned to being an acquaintance of Doctor Banner. Add on that this place is a STEM school, he'd be fairly well-known.
> 
> Got any ideas, feel free to let me know.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	6. Willful Wilsons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another meeting between Avenger and teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did this trope in one of my other fics. Thought it fit in this one, too.

Chapter 6: Willful Wilsons

The incident with Dr. Banner caused a shift in the school. It was small, by regular standards. Not something that had a huge impact on the lives of the students as a whole, but it did affect the staff a little.

With their principal descending from a Howling Commando, and the head of the chemistry department being actual friends with The Doctor Robert “Bruce” Banner, quite a few students realized how high profile the staff at Midtown is. It should’ve been obvious, given that it’s one of the highest-ranking STEM schools in the country, but it only became more apparent as time went on. More than a few of the students started digging into the backgrounds of the people who taught them.

It of course started with trying to find out if any of the other staff knew any celebrities. Many of the teachers couldn’t help but brag about being associated with various people of equally various levels of fame. A few were more well known in niche circles, and only interest those who know them. Others only have a passing association with the people, like they shared a single class in college or graduated at the same time. One of the bus drivers actually was in the town that was destroyed when Thor came to Earth the first time. Broke his truck trying to pull Thor’s hammer. A lot of the students thought that was pretty cool. Still others were mentioned in various famous scientific journals written by some well-known individuals, whether in reference or as contributors to the study itself.

After that, there was something else that happened. Once a lot of the students got onto the task of looking up their teachers, they started looking other parts of their pasts. It caused a good number of laughs, with what’s out there on the internet these days, but it also caused just as much interest in other parts of the staff’s lives.

Students had discovered papers and patents written and filed by the members of the Midtown staff. If a title caught their interest, the student would approach that teacher and ask for a copy. Those adults were more than happy to provide it. Some new clubs were even formed around reading the different journals of the various members of staff and discussing them after school. Betty Brant suggested they make a weekly segment on the morning announcements to recognize the achievements of the staff of Midtown High.

Still, there’s one thing that their extensive research overlooked. Maybe it was the lack of a STEM class by the teacher. Maybe it was because the man himself doesn’t really share much about his personal life. Either way, the reveal came to be a shock to the student body.

***

“Hey, Pete! Ready to go?”

Peter Parker groans at the voice he hears behind him. He should’ve guessed this day would come eventually.

“Peter, is that-?”

“Ignore him, maybe he’ll go away.”

Ned Leeds looks like ignoring the man approaching them is the last thing he would do. Understandable, the guy wasn’t there when Ned visited the Compound. Neither he nor MJ know just how embarrassing Sam Wilson can be when he wants to annoy Peter.

The Falcon ruffles Peter’s hair as he comes up behind him.

“Sup, kid? It’s my turn to pick you up for the weekend.” He looks up at the other two people in the group. “Nice to meet ya. I’m Sam Wilson.”

“We know,” MJ smirks. “Hope you brought a car with enough seats for all of us.”

“Yep. No funny business in the backseat, though.”

“No promises.”

“Oh,” Sam chuckles. “I like you. Now then, why don’t we-.”

“Sammy?”

Sam Wilson, the Falcon, full-time Avenger, turns around. The surprise on his face is evident. Everyone in the hallway, who had stopped to watch yet another Avenger talk with Peter, looks back and forth between the hero and their gaping gym teacher.

“Andre,” Sam exhales. “My god, Andre. That really you?”

“Been a few years,” Coach Wilson chuckles. “How ya been, Sammy?”

“Bit busy,” the hero takes the few steps to embrace the other man. “How’s aunty?”

“Missed you at Thanksgiving.”

“I was kind of out of the country at the time.”

“We saw it on the news. You should still come by sometime.”

“Still in the same place?”

“Yep, can’t leave home, can we?”

“Ahem,” an overly loud cough comes from somewhere in the hall, causing the two adults to realize where they are.

“Sorry,” Sam gives a sheepish grin. “Just been a while since I’d seen my cousin.”

“You’re related?” Ned gasps.

“Yep,” Sam Wilson wraps an arm around Andre Wilson’s shoulders. “You’re looking at the reason I got into the armed forces.”

“Please,” Coach Wilson snorts. “You would’ve gone in whether I joined or not.”

“I would’ve wanted to,” Sam counters. “But you’re the one that convinced Mom to let me apply.”

“And look at you now. I remember when you told us they’d pulled you aside for some super secret, hush hush, special assignment. Never would’ve thought it would cause you to fight alongside Captain America one of these days.”

“I never would’ve considered it either,” Sam laughs.

“Little Sammy,” the coach mocks. “The main thief of grandma’s cookies; fighting with the Star-Spangled Man himself. Anyways,” he pats his cousin on the chest. “You’ve probably got places to be, so I’ll leave you to it.”

“He doesn’t actually,” Peter steps forward. “He’s just chauffeuring us up to the Compound. I’m sure there’s enough room in the car, if you guys want to catch up while we get something to eat. I was hoping to grab some Thai on the way up, and we could turn it into a sit-down thing.”

Sam looks at his teenage friend, gratitude in his eyes, before turning back to his cousin. “Yeah, how bout it? The kid knows some pretty good places to eat around here, and I’d like to hear a bit more about what the family’s been up to.”

Andre Wilson is a little taken aback by that offer, but he looks back and forth between the trio of teens and his cousin, before showing a small smile.

“Yeah, that’d be nice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both Sam Wilson and Coach Wilson have the same last name. Was a big deal for me when I read a couple of fics that pointed that out.
> 
> Hope you liked this chapter. Requests always welcome.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	7. A Power Couple and a New "Driver"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you legally get six people seated in a five person car. Why don't we find out.

Chapter 7: A Power Couple, and a New “Driver”

There are still wagers.

This entire thing has been going on for months, and there are still wagers. Seriously, people are still betting on who the next person to pick up Peter will be, other than Happy or May. They were automatically cancelled out as too common after the first couple of months. There are group chats, as well as various different types of bets. One of them is just who is in the group, in case there are multiple people. Another is who is driving the vehicle. Another is what type of vehicle; the more specific you get, the greater the take. Peter was expecting the teachers and staff to put a stop to it. Instead, some of them have joined. They do make sure that anything involving the bets themselves are done either before or after school, but it still causes Peter to sigh when people approach him to try and get a one-up on the competition.

“I don’t even know who’s going to do it,” he tells them, exasperated and truthful. “They want it to be a surprise.”

He doesn’t tell them that, barring an emergency or everyone already getting their turn, there probably won’t be any repeat visits. If they’re smart enough, they can figure that out on their own. If not, that’s what they get for trying to make money off of him.

***

Today, there wasn’t any decathlon. He does, however, go off for a little bit to patrol around the area while Ned and MJ go to their other clubs. With several people constantly watching him on a daily basis, it can be frustrating, but they don’t follow him outside of the school grounds. Still, when he returns, he sees MJ waiting for him. They both sit down together on the steps in front of the school while they wait for Ned to finish Robotics club.

Before he gets there, a car pulls up, and when the two people inside step out, the couple on the steps, as well as a number of students, recognize the ones picking up Peter today.

“Peter!” Wanda Maximoff grins excitedly as she sees the teen. “How are you?”

“Wanda!” He walks over to her. They meet in the middle and give each other a hug. “How was the vacation?”

“It was nice,” she smiles, then she looks up behind Peter. “And you must be Michelle. I have heard a lot about you from the others. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“And you, too, Ms. Maximoff,” Michelle Jones smiles at the Scarlet Witch.

“Call me Wanda,” the telekinetic says. “I’m not much older than you.”

“Okay, Wanda,” the teenage girl looks behind her. “And who is this?”

“This,” the Avenger grabs onto a taller man. “Is Viz. He usually stays in this form when he’s out in public.”

“My usual skin tone and look tends to attract a bit too much attention,” the light skinned synthoid explains. “It is less complicated to assume a more human appearance at normal times.”

“I think your normal look is cooler,” Michelle Jones states. “But you should do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Hey, guys!” Ned comes out of the school doors. Then, his eyes widen when he realizes who else is there. “No way!” He jogs over to the group. “It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Scarlet Witch.” Then, he looks at her partner. “And you’re the Vision. I saw you on the news a couple of times while you were travelling. Do you actually change your structure to that or is it just some sort of hologram or illusion?”

“Ned,” Peter cuts in. “You can ask him about that while we’re in the car, but we’d better get going before the crowd gets too bad.”

Like Peter said, with the all of the clubs now exiting the building, people are starting to see the Scarlet Witch in the pick up area of the school. The three teens file into the backseat, while Wanda gets into the driver’s side and Vision rides shotgun.

“Do you have your license, Wanda?” Peter frowns.

“Viz and I got them a few months ago,” she tells him. Then, she smiles. “But I will not be driving today.”

Peter opens up his mouth to question that, when a voice sounds through the speakers in the car.

“Hello, Peter. I will be your chauffeur for today.”

“Karen!” Peter gapes at the speakers of the car.

“We’re going to be driven by an AI,” Ned’s face splits into a wide smile. “This is so awesome.”

“FRIDAY has been teaching me how to drive around the Compound,” the AI’s voice sounds happy. “It is my first time driving in the city, and I am very excited.”

“Due to various laws that are being put into effect,” Vision reports. “There must be a licensed and alert driver behind the wheel of any vehicle while they are in motion.”

“FRIDAY and Vision thought it would be good practice for her to pick you up from school,” Wanda smiles as the wheel turns itself and they slowly drive out onto the road. “And I am fine with her driving while I am sitting here. It was a bit disconcerting on the way down, but it is a little fun to watch now. And she is a good driver.”

“She has not made a single mistake during the entire ride up, and even her practice with FRIDAY beforehand,” Vision confirms. “She is more than capable of controlling the vehicle in a safe manner.”

“Thank you, Vision, Ms. Maximoff.”

There are a few minutes while Karen smoothly navigates the car through the crowded New York traffic, before Peter notices his girlfriend texting next to him.

“What’s up?” He looks down at the phone, not really reading, but showing his interest.

“Just updating the group chats for the bets on who’s picking you up,” she tells him. “There are a lot of people who think that Wanda’s the one driving. Thought I’d correct them. With how few people still guess an AI driver, they should get their money when it’s actually true.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always like giving the AIs personalities, and Vision and FRIDAY are great older siblings to Karen.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	8. Not At All Suspicious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is more secure than a security service.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea for a good bit, but I thought I should get some of the more common Avengers out of the way before I did it.
> 
> Still, Captain_Marvel's comment on my fic was what had me write it at this time. Thank you for your idea.

Chapter 8: Not at All Suspicious

They’re late.

Peter, Michelle, and Ned are sitting on one of the benches in the pick up area, bored out of their minds.

“How long did Mr. Stark say they’d be?” Ned asks as he looks up from his phone.

“He said about half an hour,” Peter replies. “But they aren’t coming from the Compound so he couldn’t be sure.”

“And how long has it been?”

“Almost an hour,” MJ answers. Then, she shrugs. “It’s not like we have very much to do today, and Stark said the guy isn’t the most normal of people, right?”

“Yeah,” Peter nods. He looks down at his phone. “His exact words were ‘Be careful, he and his friends are a bit interesting.’”

“This is coming from the former playboy?” MJ raises an eyebrow.

“It was his phone,” Peter confirms. “But I got the feeling that it wasn’t him from the text.”

“So, Pepper then. Or someone else one of the two of them trust with his phone. Still, it’s not like you haven’t been half an hour late to some of your appointments. Hell, you haven’t even shown up for some.”

Peter opens his mouth to argue, only to realize he can’t. Still, it takes another ten minutes, during which Peter debates calling to have Karen come down with a car, before a loud and weird sounding horn blasts and a large vehicle skids to a stop in front of the sidewalk of the pick-up area.

“Well,” Michelle chuckles a bit. “Nothing says ‘I’ve come to pick up some kids’ like a large white van.”

Sure enough, it is a large white van in front of them. On the side, a door with the decal “Ex-Con” slides open and a man steps out.

“Hey, Peter, remember me?” The man waves at the teen.

“Oh,” the boy in question’s eyes widen in realization. “You’re Mr. Lang, right?”

“That’s me,” he smiles. Then, he hunches his shoulders slightly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “Sorry about being late. Our job ran longer than expected, and some other things happened.”

“We did bring pizza,” a heavily accented man peeks his head out of the back of the van, holding up a couple of boxes.

“And now you’re offering food from inside of the white van,” Michelle sighs. She looks at Peter. “Who are these guys?”

“I don’t know who the others are,” Peter explains. “But Mr. Lang is the Ant-man. He came by once with Doctor Pym and the Van Dynes. So, I think we can trust everyone else.”

“Yeah, dude,” the driver smiles from the front seat. “You can trust us. We’re real cool. We’re the good guys. Helped Scotty out plenty of times. Like when we broke into Pym Tech to steal that shrinking suit, or when we stole a building to help get Hope’s mom back. But we don’t actually steal. I mean we used to, but we don’t anymore. Got our own business now. Selling security systems. ‘Ex-Con,’ get it? Who would know how to protect your stuff better than people who used to steal it?”

“I think they get it, Luiz,” Scott looks at the man before turning back to the kids. “Anyway, we had a meeting with one of our suppliers today, and it ran a bit late. We’re here now, though, so hop on in.”

Ned and Peter walk up to the van, with MJ following behind, a bit more cautious. They all get in, and strap themselves into one of the seats, while the door is slid closed.

Ned gapes at the tech all around them, then he looks at the Scott.

“So, you’re the Ant-man?”

“Yeah,” he gives an awkward smile.

“Do you have the suit with you right now?”

“Nope, Hank’s working on it up at the Compound.”

“But you still know a bit about it, right?” Ned is full-on grinning now. “I mean, I’ve read a bit about the Pym particle and some theories about how the suit works, but there isn’t much on the subject online. Everything I read told me that Dr. Pym liked to keep that information to himself. Do you think you could tell me a bit about it?”

“Well,” Scott inhales through his teeth. “I’m still learning about that myself, so you’d probably have better luck asking Hope or her parents, but I can tell you what I do know on the ride up, if that’s alright with you?”

Ned’s enthusiastic nod and hopeful eyes have Scott Lang talking about what little he’s been taught about the Quantum Realm, Pym Particles, and the circuitry of the Ant-man suit. The young teen hangs off of the man’s every word, and even Peter gets a bit excited when the guy mentions some of the fights he’s had and his trips into the Quantum Realm itself. A few of the other passengers of the van start to put in their two cents and give their roles in some of different stories. By the time they’re halfway to the Compound, even MJ’s relaxed around the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I did the characterization right. I wanted the dialogue to sort of exude their chaotic energy.
> 
> Thank you everyone for your comments and ideas.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	9. International Interest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unknown call to the office leads to a special guest at Midtown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was literally being written when elbris made their comment. So, thank you very much for the comment, because it's always nice to have someone with a similar idea to yours.

Chapter 9: International Interest

“Yes? Yes, certainly. He’ll be right up.”

The English teacher looks up as she hangs up the phone.

“Peter, you’re wanted up at the office.”

“Should I take my stuff?” The teen stands up.

“You might as well,” she nods. “Class’ll be over soon.”

As Peter Parker walks up to the front office, he can’t help but think something is wrong. Mr. Stark would’ve texted him if it was something Spider-man related or if there were any problems with his projects. He doesn’t even think he’s doing anything in the lab that could go wrong without him actually interacting with it. It’s mostly just engineering stuff, so unless DUM-E got ahold of them, they should be fine. He’s sure that he hasn’t done anything wrong, so he can’t be in trouble. Thoughts bounce around in his head, until he gets to the office. Through the glass he sees a sight that causes his jaw to drop.

Inside of the office a teenage girl waves excitedly as she catches sight of Peter. The familiar guard behind her gives the boy a small wave of her own. Peter opens up the door and gets a hug from Shuri.

“Peter!” She squeezes tight before separating. “How are you?”

“Alright,” he chuckles a bit, smiling. “What are you doing here? Is T’Challa with you?”

“Nope,” she pops. “He’s doing king stuff at the UN building. Since we were nearby, I asked Stark if I could pick you up from school.”

“That’s great,” Peter smiles at his friend. “But school hasn’t finished yet. Lunch hasn’t even started.”

“Couldn’t we just leave early?” She whines.

“Can’t,” he shakes his head. “Missed too many days, and Aunt May wouldn’t like me skipping anymore school without a reason.”

“Well,” she purses her lips. “We can’t upset May.” Then, he eyes widen. “Wait, I have an idea.”

That sets Peter’s nerves on edge. When she says that, it’s either brilliant or incredibly terrifying. Anywhere from a revolutionary design to a traumatic prank. Even when she actually tells him, he’s not entirely sure what to think.

***

“Hello. My name is Shuri. I’m visiting Peter from out of the country. I hope to get along with all of you for the day.”

Peter wasn’t really expecting her introduction to be that polite, but she is a princess, so…

Principal Morita said that there was no problem with Shuri spending the day shadowing Peter. They apparently have the occasional student that’s thinking about transferring that comes to see the school. The guard that Shuri brought is pretty much the equivalent of a legal guardian escorting their kid while they do the one day “tour.”

Shuri is respectful during class, understanding that there is a time and place for her shenanigans. Still, as the lesson goes on, Peter can see her start to grow bored. Makes sense; this is his physics class. Shuri can do these equations in her sleep. From the look of things, she’s about to prove it. When the bell finally rings, she jumps a bit in her chair as she’s roused from her stupor.

“C’mon, Shuri,” he nudges her while collecting his stuff. “It’s time for lunch.”

“Oh, boy,” she perks up a bit. “Food.”

***

“What is this crap?”

Shuri is poking her “lunch” with the flimsy plastic fork in her hand. She literally watches as it bends around a steamed carrot.

“That’s why I recommended the chicken nuggets,” MJ snacks on her own food. “They at least taste like the fast food version.”

“I see that,” the princess frowns at her own ‘food.’ “But I think, if I ever do this again, I’ll bring my own lunch.”

“Smart,” Peter snacks on his own packed lunch, as well as the two trays full of sides that he got from the school.

“It doesn’t taste too bad,” Ned shrugs. “Once you get past how it looks.”

“Do you want it then?”

“Sure,” the boy perks up. “I’ll give you my fruit cup for it.”

“Deal,” she passes her tray over. “I’ll grab some stuff from the vending machine later.”

***

The rest of the classes are interesting. Shuri did great in PE. Understandable, given that she has Wakandan combat training.

There were more than a few people who recognized her, but only a few were actually brave enough to approach in the halls. She’s a princess, with an intimidating guard following her around, and these are a bunch of teens. Still, she has fun conversing with the few people that do come up and chat, and she puts her own two cents in class. By the end of the day, you could tell she enjoyed her time at Midtown.

***

Like always when Peter’s being picked up by someone famous, there’s a crowd as he exits the school. In front of him, however, is a procession of guards keeping the crowd away as the group is led towards a line of diplomatic vehicles. The four teens climb into the limousine, and Shuri just relaxes into the seats.

“We’ll be picking up my brother from the embassy before heading up to the Compound,” she tells them.

“Is he going to be annoyed that you took an extra few hours at the school?” Ned asks.

“He’s been in meetings all day. Those hours would’ve been spent with me and Peter running around New York and seeing the sights. I think he’ll actually be happy that I spent them all in one place. Less of a security risk when the guards know exactly where I am and where I’m going, and with Stark still trying to keep everything low profile, it’s even better.”

“What is King T’Challa meeting at the embassy for?” Michelle questions.

“Just a bit more with our outreach program. Nothing too important, but it’s a bit tedious because everyone is still trying to get a piece of some of our tech or resources. It’s why it’s at the embassy. Less annoying when they have to negotiate on official Wakandan soil.”

“So,” Ned’s smile grows. “We’ll be riding with him?”

“Maybe,” she shrugs. “They might have him ride in a separate car up to the Compound, but you’ll at least meet him.”

“That’s so cool,” Ned breathes out. “What’s he like? Is he as regal and badass as he seems on TV?”

Shuri snorts. “Not at all. Here,” she scoots over closer to him, lifting up the beads on her wrist. “I’m about to show you the real T’Challa. I’ve got tons of videos and blackmail on him.”

A holographic projection appears above the beads, and various clips and videos start playing. The group of teens gape and laugh along with the sibling antics all the way to the embassy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, many people might not know about school lunches in the United States, but what I put in the fic is completely true as far as the schools I've been to are concerned. The steamed carrot line is something that literally happened to me before. There are a few types of food you can trust to at least be consistently good, but you should steer clear of others for your own safety.
> 
> Anyways. Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	10. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You think people were awestruck before?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration for this chapter goes to Radiance3Sun
> 
> I never would've considered having this person to pick him up if you wouldn't've said something.

Chapter 10: Consequences

If it wasn’t for the situation he’s currently in being a bit annoying, Peter would admire these guys for their determination. Sure, that determination is being directed towards something entirely pointless and stupid, but still. As he’s being lifted up by his collar, stretching out his shirt, by the leader of the group of bullies that he’d been picked on by for a while, he’s gotta give them props for even trying to mess with him.

Over the past several months, he’s been picked up by all manner of heroes. It’s caused him to gain no small amount of popularity in the school, but apparently, it’s caused a bit of jealousy from other people. Some of them happen to be the guys that were picking on him before Mr. Stark swooped in and basically cemented his association with the teen.

“Think you’re special, huh?” The bully glares as he raises Peter off of his feet. “Just because you know a few Avengers doesn’t mean jack, Parker. You’re still a loser.”

Honestly, that term kind of annoys him when it’s used as an insult now. MJ uses it as a term of endearment towards her friends, and hearing it in the tone this guy is speaking in grates on Peter’s nerves more than he’d expected it to.

“Just because you’re never going to amount to anything,” Peter snaps. “Doesn’t mean that you can take it out on others.”

Obviously, the bully probably doesn’t enjoy when his victims talk back to him. Which is why, in that haze of anger, he pulls his fist back to sock Peter in the face. Peter, with his new confidence streak he has going for him, just glares at the fist. He’s taken worse before as Spider-man. This’ll be nothing to him.

The boy doesn’t even start the fist forward before a voice is heard down the hallway.

“What is going on here?!”

The bully, victim, and the bully’s cronies turn towards the voice to see Principal Morita at the end of the hallway. The bully quickly releases Peter’s shirt, and the boy plops his feet back on the ground.

“My office. Now.”

***

It’s really shocking how much people can lie. Despite the fact that Principal Morita and the officer at the school don’t even buy what the other guys are selling, the bully and their friends are still trying to convince the pair of them that Peter was the one who started the fight. Peter, for his part, is just sitting there, rolling his eyes to the point that they’re actually starting to hurt.

It doesn’t take long before his enhanced hearing picks up a voice outside of the office.

“Hello. We’re here for Peter Parker.”

Peter’s eyes widen as he recognizes the person speaking. Honestly, though, he’s kind of second guessing himself about what he just heard. There’s no way that person would actually show up at his school.

There’s a knock at the door to the security office, before it opens without even waiting for a response. The person opening the door is who Peter heard at the front desk, but even he wouldn’t have ever thought that the person behind them would even come close to Midtown. From the looks of the assembled people, they’re having an even more extreme reaction to the pair.

Maria Hill isn’t very well known. She was a SHIELD agent, sure, but despite her high rank in the organization, nobody in the press really focused on her during the fall of SHIELD. She flew under the radar, which is why, everybody’s eyes are glued to the man behind her.

Nick Fury walks in like he owns the place, and pulls up one of the empty seats in the office, with Maria standing behind and to the side of that chair in the imposing manner that she does. Even without her there, everyone in the room is thoroughly intimidated by the former director of SHIELD. The main bully even looks like he might wet his pants.

“Now,” Fury passes his gaze around the room. “Agent Hill received a call earlier that there had been an incident involving Mr. Parker at this school. One that the people in this room had assured his aunt that it would not happen again. I’d like you all to start at the beginning, and I expect us to get through this in a timely manner. Mr. Parker has somewhere he needs to be after school today, and I expect you all to make sure he is not late.”

It takes a few moments before the shock of what has just occurred wears off on the civilians in the room. Then, Principal Morita speaks up.

“Mr. Fury,” he starts cautiously. “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but this is a private matter that should be handled by the boys and their guardians.”

“It’s alright,” Maria Hill speaks up. “I’m one of Peter’s emergency contacts. You can look it up. The name is under ‘Maria H.’ Therefore, Ms. Parker has given me permission to sit in on her behalf, and I have given my compatriot here that same permission.”

Another few moments of shock, before an awkward cough comes from the principal.

“W-Well. I guess that’s fine,” he turns towards the trio of bullies. “W-Why don’t we continue our conversation.”

“Start over,” Nick Fury says casually. “I’d like to hear how the stories match up.”

***

The tension in the room seems almost visible, but the only two that don’t seem to be affected by it are the superspies that have barely moved since arriving. Now, though, after everything is said and the punishments are doled out, one of them finally speaks up.

“So,” she frowns. “What you’re saying is that, despite the fact that Peter has been bullied for the past year by these student, and we have multiple cases of them using physical means to do so, as well as the most recent case of them almost outright assaulting him; you’re going to be giving Peter Parker, by all accounts the victim, the same punishment as the obvious aggressors simply because he talked back to them while being pinned against a locker?”

“The school district has a no tolerance policy,” the security officer tells her. “And the rules and policies instituted are very clear. Mr. Parker didn’t start the incident, but his actions caused it to escalate. By that reasoning, he needs to understand that he is partially at fault.”

“But you’re still giving him the same punishment,” Maria argues. “And, by your logic, there is a fairly simple way for students to deal with anybody that they don’t like.”

The officer frowns. “What do you mean?”

“If you punish a student just for being involved in an incident, and you have your ‘three strikes’ policy before they are expelled, it would be simple enough for a large collection of students to coordinate the expulsion of a singular or a smaller group. All they would need to do is have a small contingent of their larger group corner the person in question, get into a fight with them, and then take the punishment along with that student. Then, when that student returns to school, another group would rotate in and repeat the process. All of those students would only have a single strike, while the singular student would have two. Then, when they return to school again, you do the same thing. The student that was targeted would be expelled for being in three ‘fights’ while the group would only have a few days of suspension on their records.”

The eyes of the two adults in the room widen at that implication. The security officer opens his mouth, but Maria Hill keeps going.

“Now, let’s look at this situation, shall we? Peter,” she indicates him. “If he were the victim of this particular strategy, would actually be quite well-off. He already has what amounts to a free ride to any college of his choosing due to his connection with Tony Stark and his proven intelligence. He can easily get his GED should he need it, and his internship will become a fully paid position the minute he is old enough for that to happen. His future has been laid out in front of him if he so chooses to go down that path, and from what I understand, Mr. Stark would be more than happy to support the boy should his interests fall elsewhere. Now,” she turns to look at the other teens. “From what I can see, your future might be a bit rocky, should you be expelled from this school. You would probably have to get your GED or graduate from a different, less reputable, place of education. You no doubt will struggle to find a place at any college with an expulsion on your records. Not to mention what would happen if Tony Stark decides to interfere with that when he finds out you had been harassing his personal intern. Good luck getting into a reputable college with Stark Industries blacklisting you. Not to mention any employment or internship opportunities afterwards. You wouldn’t be able to step foot in any STEM related jobs unless they are one of Stark Industries’ competitors.”

“Ms. Hill,” Principal Morita cuts in. “I will not have you threatening my students.”

“I’m not threatening them,” she turns to the man. “I’m just stating some surface level observations about flaws I’ve found in your disciplinary system and the decisions that these students seem to be making. You should also be worried about the impact these things would have on your school.”

“What do you mean?” The principal frowns.

“How much bad press would you get if you were caught expelling Tony Stark’s personal intern? I mean, if he was at fault, that would be one thing. Nobody would be able to blame you if Peter was some cocky and short-tempered troublemaker that picked a fight if someone looked at him wrong. It would just mean that Peter took after his mentor in his early days. However, we both know that isn’t the case. Which means that, should it get out that a STEM school is trying to victimize one of the future leaders in the field of science, what would that do to your school’s reputation as one of the top places of learning for people going into a scientific field?”

At this point, the principal and the security officer are both sweating, and the three teens that had been picking on Peter aren’t far behind in the perspiration department. They actually jump a bit as Nick Fury speaks for the first time since the beginning of this conversation.

“I think,” he starts. “It would be best if we just forgot this entire incident even happened. I’m sure that all parties now understand the consequences their action may have, and we have no need to punish anyone. Does that sound reasonable?”

The imposing man takes a quick scan of the room. Peter’s nodding, and the trio of, hopefully former, bullies are copying the motion with a bit more fervency. Swallowing, Principal Morita takes a deep breath to calm his frantic heart.

“W-Well,” he stutters a bit. “I suppose that we can go with that as long as there isn’t a repeat today.”

“Good,” Nick Fury rises from his seat. “Parker, come. It’s time to leave.”

Peter quickly scrambles after the two agents, following them all the way out the school and into a nondescript vehicle idling in the pick-up area. When he finally buckles himself in, he looks in the front seat, where Agent Hill is riding shotgun.

“Are you really one of my emergency contacts?”

“Of course,” she replies. “I go out with the rest of the women for drinks every once and a while. There are plenty of people before my name on the list, but I am there.”

***

Principal Morita is rubbing his temples in his office. He’s probably going to have to have his vice-principal go to his next meeting with the exhaustion and headache he feels right now. He picks up the phone to contact the parents of the other three students involved in the fight. He’ll need to tell them not to worry about coming to the school, as there is no longer any need to do so. He’s about to dial the first number, when he stops himself.

He hadn’t actually been able to contact the guardians about the incident. Then, how…

His headache just intensifies at the thought of that, and he starts to feel a bit queasy. He’s going to tell his vice-principal that he’ll be taking the rest of the week off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not everyday you see Fury as the "good cop."
> 
> I do not condone or support using this strategy in any sort of school system. Partially because I'm not sure if it would actually work, and partially because I'm not comfortable with ruining a child's future when there's still a chance that they can mature, grow, and change into a better person. I just wanted to point out a flaw that I've seen in the policies that the public schools in America seem to implement.
> 
> Requests are seen and thought about.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


	11. Don't Get Whiplash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last person you would expect to pick him up.

Chapter 11: Don’t Get Whiplash

“Sorry, Ned, but there’s only enough room for me on this trip.”

Ned just smiles in understanding. “It’s fine, like I said, but that means you know who’s coming today?” His smile just widens even more. “Is it the Black Widow again? Oh, or maybe Captain America on his motorcycle?”

“You’ll see,” Peter just has to chuckle at his best friend. “I think you’ll be surprised.”

***

Everyone is waiting outside today, loitering around Peter as he waits for whoever is going to pick him up. It’s not like the teen has been hiding that someone high profile will be here. As a matter of fact, he’s actually been slightly more vocal than normal. The entire audience just waits, a buzzing and whispers of anticipation as well as a few sounds of vibrating devices as the chats blow up with speculation.

Finally, a tension starts to run through the crowd as Peter Parker looks down at his phone and smiles. Then, he looks behind him at the assemble students.

“You guys might want to scoot back a bit. I don’t want him to run into any of you.”

It takes a few moments for the people to process what he says, but then they start scrambling backwards away from the kid. With who they’ve seen pick up the boy before, they don’t want to be anywhere near him when there’s a statement like that. After they get what Peter apparently judges to be a decent way back, he starts to looks up at the sky as he stands there. That leads to a tremor of excitement going through the people as they join him in scanning upward. What’s it going to be? A quinjet? The Iron-man suit? A spaceship? The Bifrost?!

As it turns out, it’s not as big as anyone there was expecting, but it’s no less exciting. There’s a shout from the peanut gallery, followed by more shouting and fingers pointing upwards towards the skyscrapers. As more people find what everyone is seeing, they spot a small figure coming towards them through the air. Swinging towards them, in between the buildings. Finally, in the space that had been previously cleared of students the figure freefalls before landing in a roll and stopping on his feet.  
The assembled students cheer as their Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man stands before them. He’s waves at his fans, outfitted in the metallic combat armor that many of them have seen him wear when he’s fighting with the Avengers or against people with a lot of weapons.

“Hey, Peter,” Spider-man looks around at the crowd, before focusing on someone there. “Sup, Ned.” He looks back at Peter Parker. “Where’s MJ? She usually waits for you to leave, right?”

“She’s starting a new internship,” Peter answers. “Didn’t want to be late on her first day.”

“Cool,” the vigilante nods. “Speaking of internships, we’ve gotta get going.” He turns his back to the teen. “Hop on.”

“Piggyback,” Peter whines. “Really?”

“Would you rather I wrap you in my arms and swing around with you like a damsel in distress? Or maybe I should just throw you over my shoulder and carry you like a sack of potatoes.”

“Piggyback sounds great.”

Peter makes sure everything is zipped up and secure on his person before climbing onto Spider-man’s back. With a thwip of a web on Spider-man’s wrist, he launches off back into the sky, swinging from building to building, with Peter Parker hanging on tight, until they both disappear from sight.

***

“How did you do that?”

It’s the day after Peter was picked up by Spider-man. A Saturday, and Ned has just been dropped off at the Compound by Happy. It’s the first thing he asks Peter when he gets settled in, and the spiderling knows exactly what his best friend is talking about.

“Karen was operating a roughly Peter-shaped robotic shell inside of my Iron Spider armor,” he explains. “We used the voice modulation software in the suit to make it sound like a slightly off version of my voice. It’s my alibi in case people eventually put together that Peter Parker and Spider-man sound similar and hang out a lot with the Avengers. I started putting the idea together after MJ pointed out that I haven’t done a very good job at keeping my identity a secret.

“That’s so cool,” Ned gushes. “Speaking of MJ, do you know anything about this internship she’s doing?”

“Not much,” Peter shrugs. “She just told me that it was a great opportunity for her. Said it was a chance thing when she helped someone out at the market one day. I could tell she was excited when they offered it to her, though. Didn’t want to talk about it much before her trial period is over. I think she doesn’t want to jinx anything by getting her hopes up.”

“She’ll do great,” Ned assures his best friend. “It’s MJ.”

“Yeah,” Peter gets a soft smile on his face.

“Anyway, no use worrying about that now. Wanna head down to the lab?” Ned suggests. “We can finish the designs for that laptop.”

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you surprised?
> 
> What do I have in store for the next chapter? You'll see.
> 
> Ideas are always welcome.
> 
> Comments and Kudos. Don't be mean.


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